How Can the Bible Be Authoritative: Article from N.T. Wright About How God Uses Authority

First off, if you've never heard of Rob Bell, who is the head teaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, MI, well, you are missing out. Not to give away all my trade secrets, but the teaching of this man has influenced me this past year probably more than any other person. It's as though he articulates my feelings, and puts into precise words vague feelings that have been rattling around inside me.

You can download his sermons in MP3 format. You can go back 12 weeks, but I'd suggest one of his latest teachings from January 30, 2005 entitled "Directions Parts I and II: Roots and Journey." My buddy Jonathan Ziman pointed it out to me, not knowing that I'd already downloaded it. I listed to it yesterday. Phenomenal.

Anyway, the point of all this is to point you to resources that might encourage you spiritually.

Anyway, Rob Bell mentioned in that sermon this article from a British theologian named NT Wright. If you have theological leanings and want to read the whole thing (and I suggest that you do), you can download it here.

TWO BIG IDEAS

Two points that Wright makes that really hit home with me. One was that the Bible is like a play by Shakespeare, with four acts, but the fifth and final act has mysteriously been lost. So what to do? Well, you can't just rewrite the ending, because that would be unfair to Shakespeare. What you might do, however, is to take a group of talented actors, and have them read and study the characters so well that they fully understand all the nuances and innuendos intended by the author. Then, have those actors continue to attempt to act out the final scenes.

The result would be, Wright claims, both creative and consistent.

This is what we are to do with the Bible. It does not tell us how specifically the story will go, but we need to steep ourselves in its mysteries and innuendos, learning to play the part, and then with the Spirit's direction, start in on the newest chapter of the story.

The second point that Wright makes is that evangelicals are much better at studying the Epistles than they are at understanding the narratives, the stories, found in the Gospels and the Old Testament. There's a reason, he thinks, for that. Many evangelicals view the Bible as an answer book, where you go to prove your answer. This is what many folks mean when they say that the Bible is authoritative. It's an attempt to get right answer, put people in boxes, control and manipulate.

This is a misuse of the term "authority" Wright writes (haha). God has all authority, and he uses that authority not to control us, or whip us into shape, but to empower us to go tell His story. And nothing - not religious tradition, not scholars, not religious text, not conventional wisdom, not anything - trumps that.

So what's your story?

God is not only interested in us being, but also in us DOING. We should look to what our story is. What is God trying to do through you? What is your part in this story. How are you connecting with the StoryTeller. And what role do you think God would have you play in all this world. What people are you telling your story to? What people are you telling God's story to. Because that's what this is all about.

The answer to this will vary greatly depending on the person, and his gifts, talents and experiences. But the answer is crucial.